City expect new manager in fortnight

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, right, is closing in on a new manager for Manchester City

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has hailed former manager Roberto Mancini and confirmed he expects to announce his replacement in the next two weeks.

Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini has been linked with the manager's post at City for some time but he confirmed on Friday there is still no done deal between himself and the club. However, Al Mubarak has now set a timeframe for the new appointment and the criteria the club is looking for ahead of next season's bid to regain the league title.

"We have a wonderful team running this process internally (to select a new manager) and are putting a very comprehensive process in place," Mubarak told mcfc.co.uk in an interview released on Friday but recorded on Monday. "They have created a shortlist of managers who fit that criteria and we are pretty much done. We are very close. I expect to make an appointment probably in the next two weeks."

He added: "We obviously want sustainable success for this club and (picking the manager) is absolutely the most important decision for a football club.

"The type of person we would like running our football team is someone with great man-management capability and the ability to get the best out of the talent we have, get the best out of the youth we have and establish and continue a systematic approach from the youth team to the elite team and reserves."

Whether the man to fit the role will be Pellegrini remains to be seen after the 59-year-old Chilean spoke earlier this week of having a "verbal commitment" with the Sky Blues.

He stressed, though, that no contract had been signed, something he reiterated on Friday at a press conference where he was previewing Malaga's Primera Division final-day away clash with champions Barcelona tomorrow - a game he has already announced will be his last with the Andalusian club.

Asked if he had reached an agreement with City, Pellegrini said: "Not yet. Next Monday we will see where I go. On Sunday I finish my contract here with Malaga and on Monday we will start to see where I go next season."

Al Mubarak was clear with his reasons for wanting a new man in the City dugout after a mostly frustrating season. "We all felt it was time for a change," he said. "Our expectations were to come in and achieve more and move forward.

"I don't think we have achieved that this year and that is why we have to re-focus this summer on getting us back on track and again to winning ways. We are a club that has been designed to win Championships. We are here to win, to play beautiful football. Roberto has done a great job for the club and everybody associated with Manchester City should be deeply appreciative of everything Roberto has done for this club."